The Best Colors for Your Front Door

It's the easiest way to give your home instant curb appeal.

A colorful door is the easiest way to add instant curb appeal. Why not go bold and make a strong first impression?

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Color Inspiration: Deep Red

Color Inspiration: Deep Red

"I'm very fond of cinnabar — deep red with a bit of orange and umber — the color of old Chinese lacquer and good paprika and the pollen in a lily. Use three coats of high-gloss paint over a tinted primer to give it depth and make it so thick and shiny, it looks like you licked it. Then get a nice brass kickplate, which is like putting a bracelet on your door." —Mallory Marshall

Benjamin Moore Moroccan Red 1309

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And on a Front Door: Deep Red

And on a Front Door: Deep Red

"There's something about a red door that says, 'Come in. Good things are inside.' It's very joyful and welcoming, and gutsy at the same time," says designer Raun Thorp about this terra cotta red entry.

Color Inspiration: Deep Red

"I'm very fond of cinnabar — deep red with a bit of orange and umber — the color of old Chinese lacquer and good paprika and the pollen in a lily. Use three coats of high-gloss paint over a tinted primer to give it depth and make it so thick and shiny, it looks like you licked it. Then get a nice brass kickplate, which is like putting a bracelet on your door." —Mallory Marshall

Benjamin Moore Moroccan Red 1309

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And on a Front Door: Deep Red

"There's something about a red door that says, 'Come in. Good things are inside.' It's very joyful and welcoming, and gutsy at the same time," says designer Raun Thorp about this terra cotta red entry.

Tichenor & Thorp Architects, Inc.

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Color Inspiration: Bright Yellow

"I'm envisioning a Shingle Style house with white trim and a bright lemon yellow door. I think it would be very welcoming, and a little daring. In summer, it would look great with greenery and flowers, and in winter, it would brighten up that barren feeling." —Stephen Shubel

Benjamin Moore Sunburst 2023-40

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And on a Front Door: Bright Yellow

Designer Tamara Kaye-Honey added a jolt of energy to this otherwise modest craftsman. "Yellows can often be too juvenile, too in-your-face, too much, but the little bit of lime in this one makes it more sophisticated," she says. "It's playful and happy, but not too Disney. Do it in high gloss for depth."

Cliff Norton

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Color Inspiration: Deep Blue

"This is a deep, dark inky blue that can look almost black in the shade, but it turns into a rich, deep blue in the sun. It would look just as great on a stone house in the mountains as it would on a faded, silvery-shingled Cape Cod at the beach." —Andrew Flesher

Benjamin Moore Evening Sky 833

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And on a Front Door: Deep Blue

In a Newport Beach, California, house designed by Peter Dunham, the Dutch door was added to take advantage of sea breezes. It's painted Benjamin Moore Pacific Ocean Blue, a color that carries through the house.

Victoria Pearson

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Color Inspiration: Green

"It evokes the notion of shade, beckoning the visitor inside, hinting at the cool to be found within." —Kathryn M. Ireland

Farrow & Ball Folly Green 76

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And on a Front Door: Green

"This is a Spanish Colonial house in the California chaparral, at the foot of a mountain range. Everything is dry and dusty. Any green at all is a triumph over nature," says designer Kathryn M. Ireland of this home. "I found this color under layers of paint on some trim."

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Color Inspiration: Pumpkin

"I would use this pumpkin with olive trim. It's a bold color that pushes the envelope for a front door. It says, 'I dare you to walk through.' But then it's also very appealing. It's the new paradigm for anyone who is tired of red doors. It's more youthful." —Whitney Stewart

Benjamin Moore Gold Rush 2166-10

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And on a Front Door: Orange

Orange, white, and blue are the colors Moises Esquenazi used repeatedly inside and outside his Los Angeles house, beginning at the entry — which he designed to be "chic and dramatic." Red tip hedges give the bungalow more privacy.